5 Helpful Tips For Building Your Research Proposal
- Choose a Topic That Matters
- Choose Your Stance Early On
- Make Your Case
- Review and Revise
- Be Confident and Convincing
A common mistake that many students make is to choose a topic that is outdated or not relevant to the current direction of their chosen science. Just like with anything else trends of studies change over time. Even if you pick your research topic based on subject matter that you find interesting, their may not be enough recent data or interest to support an entire study. By choosing a topic that is current and up to date in your field your proposal becomes increasingly more likely to be approved by your faculty.
Within your study proposal you will want to give a brief overview of potential thesis arguments so that the reviewer can understand what side of the debate you will be writing your paper from. This is actually an extremely important part of the proposal writing process because depending on the angle that you choose for your research paper makes all of the difference. Even if you aren’t certain about what your thesis will be, you should have done enough preliminary research to know what sort of paper you are going to write.
Just like when you are writing your research paper you are going to have to argue your case about why the topic that you are proposing has merit. The best way to do this is by organizing your research paper proposal just like an essay. State your case in the introduction and then compose a strong two or three body paragraph long argument defending why your research concept should be pursued.
Your research proposal should be sleek, well-written, and persuasive. Before you submit it for review make sure that you review and revise it’s content. Be critical of your own work and try to cut out any excess that may make it difficult to understand or support. Your proposal should have a clear goal and explain what you wish to achieve.
Keep in mind that your research proposal will set the tone for your research project. This is why you want to depict yourself as a competent researcher who is confident in their ability to complete a large-scale research project. This is where you really need to “sell” your project so that the reviewers will back you in your academic pursuits.